A Cup of Tea
by Izzu
Summary: Post Reset. Just as she returned to UNIT, Martha was called to meet a certain well known Brigadier. Little did she know how that meeting would change her life in UNIT.


az: First thing first, I hope no one shot me for the Brig's characterization. I'm still getting to know him after all.

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A Cup of Tea

aka Story of the Brigadier

Written by Izzu alias honou-no-izumi

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"Miss Jones?"

Martha looked up from her desk as Captain Price walked up towards her. "Are you busy at the moment? If not, come with me. You are requested to a meeting with someone."

Martha blinked as she looked down towards the list of documents she had to handle, mostly on the reports on some of the analyses they had been doing these few days. She might as well ask a colleague to take over as she did just that and followed the captain.

She was still adjusting... working here under UNIT, with all the military around. Even with everything she had seen since, there was still something that she still had a hard time getting used to.

Captain Marian Price took her into a meeting room, where an elderly man was already waiting for them. Excusing herself, the captain saluted and closed the door behind her. Leaving the very nervous Martha with the old man. The old man smiled.

"What're you doing, still standing here? Come near, we can't have a chat with you so far over there,"

Martha blinked again as she walked up towards him and took a seat beside him. "A chat, sir?" she asked, slightly bit confused.

"Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart," he said, offering his hand to Martha as she shook it. "You can call me Brigadier if you want, though technically I'm retired at the moment. Yet UNIT always wanted to keep me around... using whatever reasons they could come up with."

"Martha Jones," she said briefly. "Forgive me, Brigadier... but what do you want to talk to me about?"

The Brigadier laughed. "No need for such formality, my dear Miss Jones. I was wondering... how have you been faring so far in UNIT? I hoped that all this military business not bothering you."

Martha stared at him surprised before shaking her head. "Ah no... not at all. I guess you could say that I'm getting the hang of how UNIT worked."

The Brigadier nodded his head as he smiled. "Good, good... but I supposed after all the things you've faced in the past, taking on UNIT won't be a problem to you, eh? Tea?" He laughed again as he saw Martha's face. He poured another cup of tea before pushing it towards Martha. "I've heard a lot about you; or more like... _read_ the many courageous things you've done. That's why I didn't think long before recommending you to UNIT. My own daughter was also in here, heading the Scientific Department; though she had a much higher ambition for UNIT. I for one do feel that UNIT now needed to be more focused on science rather than military but that would be a time long waiting. So when you came along I was glad to be the one to recommend you. UNIT have a long way to change so we'll need more people like you and my daughter to work on it from the inside."

Martha blinked again, quite puzzled. A bit earlier; when she went to Cardiff and helped Torchwood, she and Jack had speculated on who was it that got her into UNIT. Both of them had immediately thought of the Doctor so hearing this sudden confession from this old officer was indeed shocking.

"Pardon...? How... how did you know about me? Why did you want me to be in UNIT? Before... I never even met you before."

The Brigadier smiled. "No you don't. But Miss Jones... you do indeed knew the Doctor?" His smile widened as realization came to her. "The Doctor and I went way back... very long time. Some time ago I've received a letter from him, telling me everything about you. Even the things in the Year that no longer is due to time reversing itself. He had lots of praise for you, my dear... and thought I might be of some help, steering you towards a career in UNIT. Even though he did not exactly said so, just that I help out,"

Martha laughed, well at least _half_ of their theories rang true. "That's the Doctor all right, but when was this? I never thought he went so far as going all out to find me a job,"

The Brigadier shrugged. "It was right after Christmas, remember that Titanic spaceship that almost crashed into Buckingham Palace? He said that it was an afterthought, because after parting with you he had been distracted with the Titanic business. He wondered if you had been doing well since he last seen you and told me if I could help you out with things if you're not. In a way it was lucky of me to have you. My daughter had a vision that could change UNIT's ways drastically but she wanted to use her own power, none of these ties with me that would make things complicated. Not that I doubted her abilities but I suppose I could try helping her out without being too obvious. I suppose you don't mind coming into my scheme? Your experience with the Doctor would prove helpful to you in climbing up the ranks and even if you might not be able to do much here, you might still be able to affect things. The Doctor did have quite a reputation still in UNIT."

Martha nodded. She did hear a lot from the officers she've met so far. To the older officers who have met the Doctor in person, the opinions had varied from respect to plainly annoyed with him for his eccentricities. But for those that never met him, the Doctor was like a legend... and even a myth told by their seniors. She had been amused at all of the varied reactions when it was made known that she had traveled with the Doctor before; it had been the oddest experience. But still...

"What did you mean... _change_ things? I'm still new here... I don't have much authority—"

"But you've seen a lot in your travels with the Doctor. That knowledge would be helpful when dealing with things that may come into our ways. UNIT can't always storm into things like soldiers are warrant to do. Things need to change... times had changed as well in that regards,"

Martha nodded. "Yeah, I know. Jack often said that too."

"Oh yes... Captain Jack Harkness," he said, noting the name. "He's also a friend of the Doctor as well, isn't he? Have only managed to hear about him in passing... I didn't get to work with Torchwood so often. Complicated business with him, isn't it? He _had_ been around for quite a long time,"

Martha nodded again as she sipped on her tea.

"And no, I didn't mean to say that you _have_ to do something for me. More like having UNIT get to know the Doctor and his methods _through_ you. From the way the Doctor wrote about you, it does seemed to be your speciality."

Martha waved her hands away. "I'm not that influential. And I thought your daughter was the one that wanted to change UNIT?"

The Brigadier nodded. "Yes... but my daughter have never met the Doctor. All she knew about him was from me. In fact it was by my influence and stories about the Doctor that made her want to change UNIT into something much more research-based. Since I do find that _that_ part of UNIT was a bit lacking. Aside from the knowledge that we do have as well as the many artifact that we've kept, there were many things still unknown to us. Without the Doctor to guide UNIT, all these soldiers would not be able to do anything when facing new adversaries."

"So that's where I come in, that's what you mean?"

The Brigadier nodded. "You know how the Doctor worked whenever he faced some of his old enemies or aliens... or even his ways when confronting new species he'd never met. That flexibility is something a lot of the soldiers in UNIT did not have. I do what I can in guiding them but I'm still an old man. I can't always be around to point things out to these new soldiers and sometimes I'm stationed elsewhere. It won't hurt to have someone else who knew the Doctor here. Aside from me. Since anyone else who also knew the Doctor well back in the days were either already dead or left UNIT. Like my old friend Miss Sarah Jane Smith, I suppose you have met her yet?"

Martha shook her head as the Brigadier continued. "Sarah Jane used to travel with the Doctor as well, along with several of my subordinates. But she's no UNIT officer, and would never accept to work here. And I heard that she's quite the journalist now as back then."

He sipped his tea again as he continued. "Anyway at the moment, you're in the better position to make some changes. For my daughter, it would still take some bit of time before she could rise to the top position. Until then, it would not hurt to have you working your way around... changing the way UNIT tackled things regarding extraterrestial activities."

Martha laughed nervously. "Thank you... I guess? I never realized that you thought so highly of me,"

The Brigadier waved it a way. "Don't worry about it. I just wanted to help my daughter and perhaps the Doctor too, if he needs UNIT's help again. Last time with the Slithereens at Downing Street, UNIT ended up doing nothing much aside from crowd control; everything else turned into such a mess. The Doctor ended up doing most of the work, with help from his hacker friend. Quite pitiful and I hoped UNIT could do better the next time he's around." He shrugged. "Change must start from somewhere; even your Captain Harkness went a long way before he could change Torchwood."

He poured Martha some more tea before pouring his own. "That matters aside, I heard about what happened at the Pharm. You all right, my dear?"

Martha smiled as she nodded. "I'm fine. The people at Torchwood had it worse,"

The Brigadier nodded his head. "Aah, Owen Harper... I've read the reports. That aside, how's the Doctor? I heard he's regenerated several times more—three times in fact—since I last saw him."

Martha blinked at him. "You haven't seen him? I thought you—"

"It's just a letter... and I've been away during the few times he's been around. I heard from Sarah Jane about meeting him at this school... and I heard about Canary Wharf from the previous reports, among the many thing about him. So how is he?"

"He's all right, I suppose. The last time I saw him he was just coping with a loss of a very old friend. But I supposed he'd be up to his mischief as usual, wherever he is right now."

The Brigadier smiled. "That sounded familiar. Sarah Jane mentioned that he's changed into quite a charming man but it amused me to hear that he's still the same old mischief."

"I had to agree, the Doctor was quite a jumpy person," said Martha as she sipped on her tea. "That aside, Brigadier... it was a pleasant surprise to be able to meet you. I never imagine I could meet some of the Doctor's old friend aside from Jack."

The old man grinned. "I could always spend some time telling you some of the old stories, my dear. I've seen him in many of his odd faces and it was quite a delight to recall all of that, after all of the danger's past."

Martha's eyes shone. "Why don't you tell me some of that, right now?" asked Martha excitedly. She had after all spent almost a full year last time, telling the many stories of her adventures with the Doctor. It was interesting to be able to hear stories that was not told by herself for a change.

The Brigadier looked down to his watch before turning back towards her. "Are you sure you want to hear it? It'll be quite a long tale,"

Martha thought about the Year that Never Was and the stories she told and repeated, yes... those stories told a million times, definitely would start to get old. Time to hear some new ones. Or _new_ old stories. She smiled.

"Yes, of course. I have nothing else to do today after all,"


End file.
